Difficulties in diagnosing and treating phyllodes tumor of the breast--case report

A phyllodes tumor is a rare breast neoplasm, and in the majority of cases is benign. Its diagnosis is difficult because many characteristics of this neoplasm are also typical for other changes within the breast, especially for fibroadenoma. Palpable examination and imaging diagnostics are obviously very important in the process of establishing a diagnosis. However, histopathological examination is the most important one. Currently, the treatment process boils down to surgical removal of this tumor. It is essential to keep a sufficient margin of healthy tissues, which reduces the risk of local recurrence. In the described case the patient was admitted to hospital due to single tumors in both breasts. Mammosonography allowed us to pre-exclude changes of a malignant character. The right breast tumor was removed during mammotomy. Histopathological examination showed a phyllodes tumor, which is why the mass on the other side was removed surgically. In the period of an 18-month-observation no local recurrence was revealed.